So said Michael Hawker, CEO of IAG at the final 'Meet the CEO' event for 2005, in an on-stage interview with Helen Trinca, Editor of the AFR's BOSS Magazine. Trust is the key to successful teamwork, and the team focused culture at IAG is something of which Mike Hawker is justly proud. 'You have to trust others to serve the customer the way you would,' he said. Teamwork, and the importance of nurturing trust, is something Mike Hawker, a former Wallaby, knows a bit about.
He strives to create and maintain a professional environment at IAG where people of diverse backgrounds can thrive. Mike Hawker is lauded by his colleagues and peers for his skills with people.
Before a packed house of alumni, current students and friends of the Faculty, he shared his thoughts on what makes a great leader. From 'competence and capability' influence is borne, and influence leads ultimately to success. Hawker also stressed that great leaders care more about the people who work for them than for themselves. Humility, composure and courage are all part of his formula, which he's applied across careers as a professional sportsman, a banker and now in insurance.
Mike Hawker believes that a balance between work and his personal life is achievable: he spends up to 80 hours a week at work because he loves what he does! But the personal satisfaction he gains from the work he does in turn gives him the drive to continue.
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